Implementing specific hardware to follow an efficient measurement protocol

A computer program product for use on a computer system for measuring an object, the computer program product comprising a tangible, non-transient computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the computer readable program code comprising:

• program code for controlling a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) having a wrist coupled with a measuring probe, the probe having a tolerance angle with respect to a surface normal of a surface to be measured, the wrist having a first given orientation that is adjustable to a second given orientation;
• program code for determining an ideal vector that can be used to measure a given segment within the tolerance;
• program code for determining the wrist orientation in a CMM coordinate space;
• program code for determining the ideal vector in the CMM coordinate space to define a part vector;
• program code for determining a probe vector from the wrist and probe characteristics;
• program code for causing the probe vector to align with a part vector;
• and
• program code for causing the CMM to measure the feature.

A system for measuring an object, the system comprising:

• a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) having a wrist coupled with a measuring probe, the probe having a tolerance angle with respect to a surface normal of a surface to be measured, the wrist having a first given orientation that is adjustable to a second given orientation;
• a controller configured to:
• determine an ideal vector that can be used to measure a given segment within the tolerance;
• determine the wrist orientation in a CMM coordinate space;
• determine the ideal vector in the CMM coordinate space to define a part vector;
• determine a probe vector from the wrist and probe characteristics;
• cause the probe vector to align with a part vector;
• and
• cause the CMM to measure the feature.